


The Date

by BirdOfHermes



Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Attraction, Awkward Dates, Banter, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Protectiveness, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 13:04:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17725715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdOfHermes/pseuds/BirdOfHermes
Summary: Karrin Murphy is stuck having to attend a miserable event and she needs a date, but Harry is out of town. Luckily, Thomas Raith is there to save the day. Post White Night, pre Small Favor.





	The Date

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so I'm cheating on my OTP slightly and I am so sorry.
> 
> I know this sounds odd, but I kind of have this love for the small scenes we see of Murphy and Thomas having banter and teasing each other in the series, even though we only see it from Harry's POV. This fic is kind of a combination of things. I wanted to explore that dynamic, because I think there is some fun tension there, and while I would never want it to ever become an actual thing, I think Thomas likes Murphy quite a bit, and Murphy does too. This kind of just straddles the fence between platonic and UST. Just playing around with these characters to see if something interesting is there, and I think it is.

_I want a girl with a mind like a diamond_  
_I want a girl who knows what's best_  
_I want a girl with shoes that cut and eyes that burn like cigarettes_  
_I want a girl with the right allocations_  
_Who is fast, and thorough, and sharp as a tack_  
_She's playing with her jewelry_  
_She's putting up her hair_  
_She is touring the facility and picking up slack_  
_I want a girl with a short skirt and long jacket_  
_-"Short Skirt, Long Jacket" by Cake_

"Thomas, I need a favor."

Five words I wished I'd never have to say, and yet here I was.

In all fairness, Thomas Raith wasn't so bad for a vampire. He was foppish, sarcastic, and often surly if you caught him at the wrong time, but he was also whip-smart, loyal, and reliable. At times, I found it impossible that he was related to Harry Dresden, until he opened his mouth and that same anti-authoritarianism and smartassery flew out, and then it was like they were twins, for God's sake. The amount of sass in a room with the two of them in it was stifling levels.

I'd texted him not too long ago to see where he was, and he'd just stopped by Harry's place to feed and walk Mouse. Harry was out of town on Warden business, so Thomas--being a good big brother--kept an eye on the pets in the meantime. He usually would also raid Harry's icebox for a beer before leaving, and said he'd stick around since I wanted to see him.

Thomas stared at me and then lifted one dark eyebrow. "You need a favor. From me."

I clenched my teeth and sighed. "Yeah."

A faint smile curled over his lips. "Well, this oughta be good."

I glared and then forced the next words out of my mouth. Each one felt like razor-wire. "I need a...date."

Thomas schooled his expression. I'd seen the smile threaten to widen, but he'd managed to catch himself. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

I tried my hardest to resist, but a blush consumed my cheeks anyway. "A date. I need a date for tonight."

"Murphy," Thomas asked in a silky, mocking voice. "Are you asking me out?"

" _No_ ," I said in nothing short of a snarl. "You infernal ass-hat. I have this stupid ceremony tonight and it's mandatory. I got nominated for some idiotic award by an equally idiotic association. Going by myself is not an option. They'd eat me alive."

His breathing elevated as if he were trying his hardest not to laugh, the bastard. He cleared his throat and I could hear an echo of it in his tone. "So you need a beard, basically?"

I rolled my eyes. "Call it whatever you want, Raith. They're a bunch of rich snobs and they want me there to humiliate me."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," I grumbled, pacing a bit in the foyer just to give myself something to do. "It's the Professional Women of Chicago Association. It _should_ be a network of women working together and celebrating each others' accomplishments, but in reality, it's a popularity contest for a bunch of trophy wives with nothing better to do than to force you into a room with them so they can pass judgment. It's like a high school reunion on crack. However, the woman who runs the stupid thing is good friends with the commissioner and if I don't show, they'll consider it insubordination since he insisted I attend having been nominated."

"Christ," Thomas said, shaking his head. "I swear, the more I learn about where you work, the more it sounds like a scene from _Mean Girls_."

I almost laughed. Of course Thomas had seen _Mean Girls_. "You're not entirely wrong there. It's downtown Pettyville."

"Well, I am a well-known resident of that district," he said with a grin. "I'd be delighted to join you, Murphy."

And he finally let the amusement into his voice. "As your _date_."

He snipped the t-sound off as hard as possible. I fought the urge to throw something at his head. "You're just eating this up, aren't you?"

He chuckled. "Oh, come on, Murph. I never get one over on you. Cut me some slack."

"Never," I said, and then checked my watch. "It starts at eight o'clock. I assume you can dredge up a suit in that amount of time."

He just lifted his eyebrow. I snorted. "Right. I forget you're not like your brother. I think the last time Harry wore a suit was to his high school homecoming."

Thomas chuckled. "You're not wrong. Alright, want me to pick you up? I can rent a limo for us."

I thought it over. On the one hand, that was pretentious as hell, but on the other hand, it would work to my benefit to not only be escorted by an utterly gorgeous man, but be in a limousine. I swallowed my pride and nodded. "Yeah, that'll work."

"Great. Now I just have to iron out my ass-less chaps and I'll be ready to strut."

I lobbed a pencil from the coffee table at his head, huffed, and stormed out of the apartment in the wake of his laughter.

Stupid vampire.

* * *

"This," I said severely as I stared in the mirror at my limp, lifeless blonde hair. "Is the _worst_."

I'd been fighting it with a combination of a curling iron and a flat iron to no avail for the last fifteen minutes. It was bad enough I had to wear a dress and heels and makeup, but the hair pushed me over the edge from irritated to infuriated. I did not have time for any of this nonsense.

The doorbell rang just as I contemplated breaking the mirror and using the excuse of going to the hospital for stitches as my way out of this dumb soiree. Thomas was early. Well, of course he was.

I slammed the flat iron down and stomped to the door, throwing it open without fixing my face first, because hell, it wasn't as if Thomas didn't know I was having none of this.

Thomas generally operated at a level of handsome that made women look like owls when he walked down the street, craning their necks into a 180 degree angle to watch him go. Thomas in a tuxedo would probably cause several hundred women to be slapped with restraining orders. Not only was the tuxedo impeccable and expertly fit to his lithe form, he'd gone for a deep, elegant charcoal instead of the traditional black. His hair fluttered around his slender face, freshly washed, and just the faintest scent of cologne hung in the air around him.

He let his gaze drag over me and then smiled faintly. "Murphy, you almost look like a woman. I nearly didn't recognize you."

"The ice," I growled. "Is thin tonight, Thomas. Glide carefully."

He clucked his tongue. "You've got to loosen up."

I heaved a sigh and left him on my doorstep, grumbling uncharitable things about him under my breath. He shut the door and locked it dutifully, and then called. "Is that how you're going to wear your hair?"

"Thin, Thomas," I reiterated. "Razor thin ice."

He appeared in the doorway to my bathroom with one of those practiced patient looks. "May I?"

I glared daggers. He lifted an eyebrow. "Remember what I do for a living?"

I seethed for a second and then caved in. After all, he wasn't wrong. I gave him the flat iron and he stepped behind me with it. He parted my hair off into neat sections with the comb and one by one, perfectly curled the ends of my hair. The damn thing never behaved when I did it, and yet it immediately obeyed Thomas. Typical.

"I like the dress," he said after a while. "Ralph Lauren?"

I crossed my arms and continued defiantly staring off into the distance as he worked. "Yeah."

"Looks good."

I refused to acknowledge the compliment, and heard him chuckle under his breath. "Come on, Murph, I'm not teasing, I promise."

"Yet," I finished for him.

"We have a long night ahead of us," he said as he fluffed out my curls. He looked at me in the mirror and then winked. "Might as well try to have a little fun."

Again, I rolled my eyes and he slipped out from behind me so I could put the final touch on my eyeliner and lipstick. He'd done a damned good job on my hair, honestly. Argh.

"That reminds me," I said, frowning a bit as I made sure my keys were in my tiny clutch purse. "There's going to be mostly women attending. It's not going to make you..."

I searched for the right word. "...uncomfortable, is it?"

"Would I have agreed if it would?" he asked.

He had a point. "No. I just..."

I sighed. "I was being selfish earlier. I didn't think it all the way through and I apologize for that. I sort of just sprung it on you. Yeah, you could have said no, but still. I know you've had a lot on your plate recently."

"It's not an issue," he told me. "I'm not like my brother. If I don't want to do something, I refuse. If there is a problem, I'll tell you upfront."

He gave me a long, thoughtful look. "I know we haven't spent a lot of time alone together, but I respect you, Karrin. If you're worried about my other side, don't. I would never do that to you for any reason."

He leaned in slightly to drive the point home, his voice soft. "Ever."

Then he extended his arm. "Shall we?"

I nodded and slipped my hand around his bicep. "We shall."

* * *

The PWCA rented out the conference room of a Hilton hotel for their award ceremony, so the limo drove around front and Thomas stepped out, offering his hand like a proper gentlemen so I could make an entrance. I could hear the murmur and hubbub as we entered the lobby and then walked down the stairs that had a banner indicating the party.

On the way here, Thomas had asked how deep into the lie we were going to go. He had no problem pretending to be my boyfriend if I needed it, but I told him it wasn't completely necessary. These women didn't know my personal life, only rumors, so he wouldn't have to do the boyfriend ruse like some bad sitcom. Instead, we'd just be dates and old friends if anyone asked. Essentially, Thomas was simply a distraction. I'd get a lot less attention with him on my arm, and he certainly didn't mind entertaining the shallow little twits since he was so used to it both for work and for being a member of the White Court.

I signed in and then took a deep breath as I stared into the dimly lit room already packed with women. "Once more unto the breach."

Thomas shocked the hell out of me by replying with Shakespeare of his own. "Come, come, you froward and unable worms!"

I snorted to hide a laugh and together we went in. There were buffet tables lined along three of the four walls, and the lines for them were long enough to make me not want to bother. It wasn't a black tie affair, but most of the women wore expensive gowns and dresses with designer labels. I was perfectly fine in my own dress. I could barely stand to wear something that pricey; I'd gotten this Ralph Lauren dress for seventy percent off at Ross. I didn't care enough to impress these people and I would never understand the logic of coughing up hard-earned money for someone's name tag. Then again, a lot of these women married into wealth and so they didn't really care.

As predicted, by the time we made it maybe ten steps, women began turning en masse to look at Thomas. To his credit, he paid them absolutely no mind and walked me to a far table that gave me a good vantage point for the whole room. I'd give him this much; he knew me well. I hated having my back to an open door of any kind.

He drew my chair out for me, and I lobbed a hateful look at him that made him grin and waggle his eyebrows in challenge. I begrudgingly sat down and he pushed me up to our table, quietly laughing in victory as he sat next to me. A waiter came by with some white wine. I refused, but Thomas accepted. Together, we began people-watching.

"There are more face-lifts and stomach-staples in this room than in the entire run of that show Nip/Tuck," Thomas said offhandedly, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. "It's a plastic surgeon's wet dream in here. I thought maybe you were exaggerating, but..."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Wow."

"Welcome to hell," I told him. "They're notorious for being worse than any sewing circle. They're all sleeping with each others' husbands and embezzling the donations they get. It's without a doubt corrupt, but since they're in with the right people, no one can do anything about it."

"And all under the title of 'professional women'," he sneered.

"Yep."

"Karrin, dear? Is that you?"

I tried not to flinch as I heard a faux-sugary voice behind me. Right on time. I forced myself to stand up to face the owner of the voice: a tall, thin woman in her fifties with a brown beehive up-do and a pale blue gown. Her cheeks were a bit flushed, which probably meant she'd already dove headfirst into the free drinks, and her eyes were black as a doll's.

"Victoria," I said with false politeness. "Good to see you."

"Wonderful to see you, muffin!" She dragged me forward and gave me air-kisses on both cheeks. "Don't you look adorable! I love your dress."

"Thank you," I said. "Yours is nice as well."

"Well, it is one of Heidi Klum's, but I don't like to brag," she said with one of those horrid rich lady laughs. It sounded like glass being shoved into my ear drums. "But thank you. We're so glad you could join us. I was afraid you'd be all cooped up at that little taskforce of yours, but here you are. Good for you, Karrin, dear!"

"Yes, here I am. Thank you again for the nomination."

"Oh, if anyone here deserves an achievement award, it's you, Karrin," she simpered. "I do not know how you manage to stay on top of things with all those roughnecks surrounding you in your unit."

Those doll eyes glinted for a second. "Oh, excuse me, I forgot. Not your unit anymore, right? Sergeant?"

I inhaled deeply through my nose to keep my face blank. "No. Not mine."

Just then, Thomas stood and leaned into my side, as if he'd sensed that I was at the end of my rope. "Oh, excuse my manners, ma'am. I didn't want to interrupt, but it felt rude not to introduce myself."

He offered his hand. "I'm Thomas, her date."

Victoria giggled and shook his hand. "Oh, my. Thomas, hmm? And just where did she dig you up? Certainly not at the precinct."

"Oh, Karrin and I have been close friends for years," he said, winking affectionately at me. "I insisted she let me escort her so I could watch her win this award. No one deserves it more."

"Yes, she is quite a peach, isn't she? And who would think at her age she'd be on the arm of someone so glamorous!"

Again, I had to take a deep breath to shake off the jab. Thomas didn't even hesitate. "Well, age is only a number. I've always preferred someone intelligent and experienced."

"Really?" She gave him an unnerving vulpine smile. "How experienced?"

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell," he chided her.

She pouted. "Oh, what a tease you are, Thomas."

Then she gave him that smile again. "I like that in a man."

"I'm sure your _husband_ is very happy to hear that," Thomas said smoothly as he stared at her wedding band, and then he slipped his arm around me. "Karrin, sweetie, I'm parched, let's go get a drink."

He led me away from Victoria. I felt her shark-like gaze on us as we left. He shuddered a bit. "Wow."

"Yeah," I said as we headed over to the punch bowl. "Wow."

"So who is that crocodile?" he asked mildly as he poured my cup.

"She's their leader," I told him, taking a sip. Thankfully, it was sangria, and I happened to like that. Maybe if I had enough, it would take the edge off this ridiculous charade.

"Makes sense," Thomas said, nodding. "That's why her hair is so big; it's _full of secrets_."

I almost snorted my sangria into my nostrils laughing. He grinned, proud of himself. He didn't get to enjoy it for long, as a moment later we were suddenly surrounded by a flock of what appeared to be giggling twenty-somethings.

"Hi," one of them said, popping up on his right. Like Victoria, her cheeks were already pink. "Who are you?"

"Thomas," he said with a charming smile. "Nice to meet you."

She and the three other girls tittered. I tried my hardest not to roll my eyes. "We've never seen you at one of these things before. Who did you come with?"

He nodded to me. "This is Sergeant Karrin Murphy from the Chicago Police Department, Special Investigations. She's my date."

The blonde flicked an envious gaze at me, but tried to hide it as she turned back to him. "Oh. How nice. Are you guys married?"

"No," he said, and then laced my fingers with his. "Karrin doesn't like being tied down."

Then he winked at the girls. "She likes tying me down instead. Ta."

He led me back towards our table, scooping up some snacks on the way. I managed a glance over my shoulder. Every single girl glared at me with hateful envy. I chuckled heartily into my punch.

By now Victoria the Crocodile had wandered off, so we were safe for now, and we sat down to munch on what Thomas had managed to pilfer from the open spot at the buffet table.

"Question," Thomas said. "Why didn't you ask Kincaid to come with you?"

I froze. "Excuse me?"

He popped a shrimp into his mouth, waiting for me to answer. I eyed him before finally answering. "Kincaid and I don't do social events."

I thought about it and then said, "And you're prettier."

He snorted. "Thank you, Murphy. I've dreamt of this moment since the day I met you. Finally, your true feelings have been revealed. I'm the happiest man alive."

I kicked his shin lightly. "Also, I think he'd be too tempted to make some of these people disappear."

"Couldn't blame the guy."

I lowered my lashes a bit. "You sure about that?"

"Why, Murphy, whatever do you mean?" he asked, widening his eyes to look innocent.

"Last time I checked, like your brother, you weren't exactly a fan."

"I'm a fan of anyone who is a fan of you."

"Uh-huh."

"It's none of my business, after all."

"Damn right it isn't," I muttered. "And it's not Harry's business either."

Thomas didn't speak for a moment, and when he did, his voice was quiet and measured. "Harry cares about you, Murphy. It's not so much jealousy as concern. He just wants what's best for you. So do I."

Alright, so I'd been a bit prickly. It wasn't as if I didn't know that already, but to hear it from Thomas was...surprising. He could be very withdrawn when he wanted to be.

"You're not going soft on me, are you, Raith?" I murmured, offering him a sly look.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Murph," he answered.

A spotlight hit the podium and the murmurs in the crowd died down. Showtime. Good. I wanted to get this fiasco over with as soon as possible. Forty wretched minutes ticked by.

Spoiler alert: I didn't win the dumb award.

The second the winner was announced, I shot a look over at Thomas. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Amen," he agreed, rising with me hastily. We were barely a few steps from the exit when Victoria swooped in for an interception.

"Leaving so soon, Karrin, darling?" she asked. "Don't tell me you're wounded by not receiving the award?"

"Not at all," I said with all the patience I had left, which was about a teaspoon. "But I've got a busy day tomorrow and I need to prepare for it."

"All work and no play is an awful way to live, you know."

I gave her a knife-edged smile. "Well, not all of us can marry the mayor's assistant and have one work day a week, Vicky."

Her fake smile cracked at the edges. She stood a little bit straighter and sipped her wine. "True enough. Then again, it's not like you have a husband to worry about."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Tell me, how is Rick these days?"

I took a single step forward. Thomas wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed my cheek. To the average person, it would look like an affectionate hug. I realized he'd been worried I'd snapped and he didn't want me to cause a scene by losing my temper. I tensed under his touch, but didn't resist.

"Karrin," he said sweetly. "It's been a long night. I think we should get going, don't you?"

"Lovely, sweet Thomas," Victoria wheedled. "You can drop the act. We both know Karrin's not enough for a man like you. What did she do? Promise to forgive a parking ticket?"

Thomas stilled against my back. I couldn't see his face, but I got the sudden impression he wasn't still wearing his charming smile anymore. "Pardon me, madam?"

"We all know Karrin here has trouble with men," Victoria continued, her smile smug once again. "She henpecks them to death, which is why Rick ran for the hills. She could never reel in a catch such as yourself, even if she were still young and pretty."

For just a second, none of us said a single thing. By now, my hands were clenched into fists. There was no way I would ever jeopardize my job by snapping this frail, empty bitch in half, but with everything in me, I wanted to do it. I'd fought things that would turn her bottle-dyed hair white, for God's sake. And yet here I stood, having to listen to this drivel from someone so petty.

Thomas unwound his arms from around me slowly and stepped forward towards Victoria with smooth, elegant grace in the movement. He stooped a bit, and it became much more apparent how his stature conveyed so much hidden strength. He dropped his voice low enough that no one aside from the three of us would hear it, not since they were still announcing names for their nonsense awards. I couldn't see his face, but whatever rested there made the vindictive pleasure in Victoria's expression slip off into nothingness.

"Sergeant Karrin Murphy is one of the most intelligent, courageous, powerful, honorable women I have ever met in my entire life," Thomas whispered. "It would take five thousand of you to equal to one fifth of her character and grace. You are a tiny, foolish woman who is not fit to breathe the same air as her, let alone pass judgment over any aspect of her or her lifestyle."

He leaned back from where he towered over her. "She didn't hire me or do me some favor to get me to be her date. I would do anything she asked without question and without hesitation."

"And for the record," he added, slipping his arm around my back. "She is the most beautiful woman in this room by a mile."

Thomas turned his head and kissed me. No, not just kissed me, that didn't do it justice. He brought his other hand up to my chin, cupping my cheek, and kissed me like there simply wasn't anyone else in the entire room, in the entire world, for that matter. He kissed me as if we were alone in a dark room with only the moon as our light, and as if he intended to worship my body for hours, days even, because I was everything to him. There was more passion, lust, and sex in that single kiss than I was sure Victoria had seen in entire decades of marriage. I felt no draw or drive or selfishness in it. I felt no drain on my life force. It was simply Thomas.

He let me go one eternity later, wrapped my hand in his, and brushed past Victoria without another word. She'd gone completely white as a sheet, her jaw to the floor, too shocked to even try to get out a final insult. I committed the sight to memory. I was going to savor it the next time she tried this shit, if she ever did.

Thomas called our limousine around to meet us. Once we reached outside, he exhaled so hard his shoulders sunk down a couple of inches. He breathed in deeply a few times and shook his head.

"I apologize for losing my temper, Murphy."

I licked my lips. I could still taste him on them. "If that was you losing your temper, by all means, do it again."

He froze and then glanced over at me, shocked. "You're...not angry with me?"

"The kiss was a bit much," I admitted. "And you got a little Westley there at the end of your speech, but bravo. It was a performance worthy of an Oscar, and it shut her right up. Mission accomplished."

"I...didn't think you'd approve," he admitted. "In fact, I assumed you were going to punch my lights out."

"I could have stood up for myself without breaking her spine, but women like that worship money and power and they think it buys them everything, so it wouldn't have made a difference to her anyhow. But hearing it from someone she thought she had nailed, someone who she harbored lust after, someone who life has told her should be on her side, did make a difference. It was unconventional, but it worked. She'll think twice the next time she sees me. Maybe she'll try to say you fought my battle for me, but I guarantee she'll also be thinking about you when her old ass husband climbs on top of her again for the next three years."

"That's disgusting, Murphy." He grinned ear to ear. "And also accurate."

He withdrew his pocket square and wiped some of my lipstick from his mouth. Like I said, it had been a hell of a kiss. "For obvious reasons, Harry can never find out about this."

I lifted an eyebrow. "What's Harry got to do with this?"

Thomas gave me a look of profound annoyance and impatience. "Really, Murphy?"

I glared at him and crossed my arms. "Oh, get bent, vampire."

He rolled his eyes. "Deny it all you want, but my point still stands."

My cheeks reddened. "Whatever."

The limo pulled up and we got inside. I flopped against the fine leather seats in relief and pulled off the loathsome heels. "God, I need a drink."

"Way ahead of you," Thomas said, and he grabbed a casket of what appeared to be scotch and two glasses from the mini-bar across from our seats. He poured us both a finger each and we sat in silence, drinking until the limo returned to my house.

Thomas opened the door for me again. I stepped on his foot, and he laughed as he walked me up to the porch. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly before facing him.

"Thank you, Thomas. I owe you one. You almost made this night bearable."

"Almost?" he scoffed. "It's not my way to leave a lady unsatisfied at the end of the night."

I slugged him in the arm and he chuckled softly. "You're welcome, Murphy."

I walked up a couple steps, and then stopped, chewing my lip for a second. I faced him again.

"Did you mean it? What you said back there?"

Thomas drifted closer, and for a second, his eyes were only for me. I am embarrassed to say my heart sped up a bit. He took my hand in his. His fingers were warm and soft for a man.

"Every word," he whispered. Then he kissed my hand. "Good night, Karrin."

It was easy to smile at him this time. "Good night, Thomas."

FIN


End file.
